YOGYAKARTA TO HAVE MODERN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 28, 2017 (Antara) - Yogyakarta is quite famous internationally because the province is the gate for tourists wishing to visit the world's ancient and largest Buddhist temple Borobudur, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World cultural heritage.

         Besides this, Yogyakarta is known as the center of education and Javanese culture, as the Sultanate survives until now in the region, given a special authority status by the Central Government.

         Yogyakarta Sultan's Palace, where the Sultan and his family live, was built by Prince of Mangkubumi in 1755. Until now, the building remains upright and well maintained, attracting many domestic as well as foreign tourists.

         Besides, many visiting foreign leaders include a visit to Yogyakarta in their agenda to meet and hold discussions with the Sultan of Yogyakarta.

         Given the importance of Yogyakarta politically, culturally and economically, the Central Government has planned to build a modern international airport in Yogyakarta.

         A ground-breaking ceremony of the airport construction was attended by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana in Kulon Progo area, Yogyakarta, on Jan 27, 2017.

         Also present at the ceremony were Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, among others.

         In his remarks, Jokowi said that the new airport will be an international airport that will offer all facilities to meet global standards.

         "The orientation of the airport will be global, and it will be an international airport with international standards," he noted.    
    The new airport is being built, as the existing airport in Adi Sutjipto is unable to handle the flow of passengers, which is far more than the airport's capacity.   
    The capacity of Yogyakarta's current Adi Sutjipto airport is 1.6 million passengers per year, but it has been used by 7.2 million fliers annually, the president revealed.

         Jokowi thanked the Yogyakarta administration, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and residents of Kulon Progo for supporting the project.

         Indonesia's airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I has allocated Rp9.3 trillion for the construction of the new airport, which will be built on 587 hectares of land.

         In its first stage, between 2020 and 2031, the new airport will have a 130 thousand square meter terminal that can accommodate up to 15 million passengers per year. It will also have a 3,250-meter-long runway and an apron for 35 aircraft.

         In the second stage (2031-2041), the airport terminal will be expanded to 195 thousand square meters and will have the annual capacity to accommodate up to 20 million passengers.

         Its runway will stretch 3.6 thousand long, and its apron will have room to park 45 planes.

         To ensure that the construction work will be completed in time, Jokowi has instructed Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi to intensively supervise the construction process, because the project had already been postponed for several years.

         "I do not care how it will be done, but the most important thing is that the airport should be operational by March 2019," Jokowi stated.       
    Yogyakarta is the second most popular tourist destination in Indonesia after Bali.

         The new international airport will replace Adi Sutjipto's position as the main entry point for tourists to the city.

         Sumadi explained that the planned airport will have a 10-fold higher capacity than that of the existing Adi Sutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta.

         The Adi Sutjipto Airport will be shifted, as its capacity is limited and cannot accommodate more passengers and aircraft, he explained.

         The airport terminal currently measures only 15 thousand square meters. Its runway is only 2,250 meters in length and has an apron that can accommodate a maximum of eight aircraft.  
    According to the minister, the relocation of Adi Sutjipto International Airport to the new airport in Kulon Progo was to make room for more air traffic and to adapt to the fast-changing needs.

         "We need to relocate Adi Sutjipto airport as it cannot accommodate the increasing number of passengers and airplanes anymore," Budi said.

         The minister expressed his optimism that the planned airport can serve Hajj pilgrims leaving for Saudi once it is completed in 2019.

         "Currently, flights to the farthest destination from Yogyakarta are to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to a plan, the farthest destination to be served will be Jeddah, so that Yogyakarta's residents can go for Hajj from Yogyakarta," the minister stated during the ground-breaking ceremony.

         Meanwhile, the residents of Kulon Progo, whose land will be used for the project, are strongly opposing the construction of the new airport.

         Some 75 community groups in Yogyakarta are opposing the construction, claiming that legal and environmental studies do not back the project.

         The local people claim that the airport is being built in an area prone to geological disasters and thus poses risks, especially to air passengers. Besides, it will displace thousands of farmers from their productive farmlands and disrupt their livelihood.  ***1***
(f001/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 28-01-2017